Minister Masagos Zulkifli, Guest of Honour, Minister for Social & Family Development
Mr Chan Whee Peng, President, Singapore Association of Social Workers
Distinguished Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen
Good afternoon.
Introduction
1 If you look around you, you’ll see the cherry blossoms and Sakura along our Gardens by the Bay. It is quite fitting that we are here – in Japan, there is a tradition called hanami, a gathering under the cherry blossoms, and shows about shared joy and connectedness. So I think it’s fitting that we are here at Flower Field Hall to celebrate our social workers.
2 I am delighted to join all of you at Social Work Day 2026 and honour the dedication and tireless efforts of our social workers. To all our social workers – thank you. Thank you for all your hard work and making a difference!
3 This year’s ceremony marks the launch of the renewed Outstanding Social Work Awards (OSWA), by SASW to first: (i) recognise outstanding social work initiatives that exemplify the purpose, value and impact of the profession, and second (ii) to honour outstanding research that has advanced advocacy and improved social work practice.
4 I’m told that since 2007, we’ve been celebrating Social Work Day. And in fact, Fareez (the emcee) was on the first (Social Work Day) committee as a young social worker. Congratulations to SASW for this important milestone, and congratulations as well to our winners: Fei Yue Community Services, Ren Ci Hospital, SHINE Children and Youth Services, and Care Corner Singapore. Well done!
Building Collective Capabilities: Social Workers as Catalysts for Social Mobility
5 Every social worker plays a vital role in uplifting lives and empowering clients they serve to achieve stability, self-reliance and social mobility. From frontline associates to senior practitioners, you play a vital role in supporting families through each and every challenge.
6 From my own involvement in youth initiatives and on the Board of an SSA, a crisis shelter that I used to work pro bono with and that was involved in the domestic violence space, I witnessed firsthand the transformative impact social workers can have on young lives and on families.
7 But individual impact is just the beginning – the real strength lies in how our social workers come together as a unified force including with other professionals. Our multidisciplinary teams demonstrate a collective capability for change. Together, they ensure that every intervention and partnership contributes to breaking cycles of disadvantage and opening pathways to opportunity.
8 Such a teamwork-based approach is particularly crucial when working with vulnerable populations with complex needs. Across our awardees today, we see such exemplary work taking shape to better support our youth. Fei Yue Community Services pioneered outreach programmes for socially withdrawn youths. SHINE’s Youth COP programme transformed at-risk youths into crime-prevention leaders. Meanwhile, Care Corner’s MindBlown is a research-driven intervention to develop adolescents’ life skills.
9 All this work would not be possible without our teams of social workers, who have gone the extra mile to reach out to schools, community partners and even neighbourhood police posts to find out what our youths need most, and how we can best serve them.
10 To further deepen the capabilities of our social service professionals and leaders, we have put in place the Professional Capability Grant, administered by the National Council of Social Service (NCSS). This Grant comprises a suite of schemes; including sponsorships, training subsidies, and sabbatical leave scheme to attract, develop and retain social service professionals. From 1st April onwards, we are also enhancing the grant to:
- Provide full tuition coverage for in-service professionals pursing pipeline qualifications,
- Expand the Social Service Tribe Study Award to include aspiring individuals pursuing associate-level qualifications; and
- Extend funding support to all leaders, beyond just middle managers, who attend NCSS’ Leadership Milestone Programmes
11 I encourage all SSAs to leverage on the Grant to upskill your professionals. This will not only allow them to strengthen their competencies, it will also broaden their professional pathways and make a greater impact in transforming lives.
12 Beyond training and development, we must also continue to innovate and use technology to enhance our practice. Social workers are at the forefront of addressing complex challenges. And using technology – including AI – offers a remarkable opportunity to amplify your impact. It does not replace your professional judgment or human connection; rather, it streamlines administrative tasks, augment clinical decisions, and provides insights that free up more time for meaningful client engagement. I am very heartened by the digital and tech initiatives taking shape across our sector, and I encourage you to embrace technology as a powerful tool to reach more families and create lasting change.
13 Alongside investing in skills and embracing technology, we want to do more to nurture SSAs' full potential for collaborative work through strong partnerships – both between agencies and also with professional associations. For example, MSF facilitates cross-learning through shared ‘Communities of Practice’ and ‘Practice Circles’ and hosts multi-disciplinary case review platforms that bring partner agencies together. We also work closely with SASW to celebrate our social workers and recognise their exemplary achievements – especially on special occasions like today.
14 By working collaboratively within SSAs and across professional associations, and harnessing the potential of technology, we can create an ecosystem where individual expertise is amplified.
From Services to Solutions: Putting Families First
15 Ultimately, our goal is to ensure that every family in Singapore has the support they need to thrive.
16 We want to make Singapore a great place for families and create a society that adopts the ‘We First’ spirit – one that is truly resilient, embodies collective responsibility and shared ownership, and guides how we approach every challenge. In other words, a society where “Better” starts with each and every one of us.
17 To truly put families at the centre of our efforts, we must shift from asking “Which existing programmes can this family be referred to?”, to instead asking the question, “How can we coordinate support across all areas of need to best serve this particular family?”
18 Take ComLink+ for example. Where each family is paired with a dedicated family coach to develop a long-term action plan tailored to their needs, strengths and aspirations. Families may also receive support in critical areas such as employment, early childhood development, and education. This shift from social assistance to social empowerment moves us from fitting families into pre-determined service categories to designing flexible, responsive support built around their unique circumstances and strengths.
Beyond Individual Support: Strengthening Professional Leadership and Support and Empowering Our Workforce
19 In the sector, we spend considerable time discussing individual resilience – on how to help our clients bounce back from adversity, and increasingly, how to help our social workers cope with burnout, trauma impact, and the demands of their vital work.
20 But supporting our professionals is not the sole responsibility of individual managers alone. Organisations, too, must establish robust systems and practices that strengthen professional leadership and help their employees thrive. To this end, NCSS’s Transformation Sustainability Scheme provides co-funding (of up to 3-years) for organisations to review, design and implement policies and practices across different areas such as Strategy & Leadership, HR Practices and Volunteer Management.
21 Now, organisations flourish with leaders who can model sustainable practices, create psychologically safe environments, and champion systemic changes that support both staff and the people they serve. To support such leaders, NCSS’s Leadership Milestone Programme targets staff transitioning into first-time, middle- and senior- management roles to navigate the challenges of their roles and help them lead with greater confidence, focus, and impact.
22 The Government remains committed and dedicated to advancing the professional infrastructure that nurtures strong leadership and empowers social workers to achieve practice excellence. When our social work leaders are equipped and empowered, they create environments where their teams feel valued and supported. This, in turn, enables them to sustain their commitment to uplifting lives and helping their clients achieve social mobility. Strong, professional leadership in social service organisations delivers an impact that extends far beyond their walls.
Conclusion
23 Our social service professionals exemplify the spirit of collective action, family-centred practice, and sustainable excellence. Through your dedication, expertise, and your unwavering commitment, you are building a Singapore where every family has the opportunity to thrive while at the same time preserve their dignity. We help not to create dependence but to restore strength. We support not just to lift others up but so others can stand on their own. We extend a hand not to hold on but to help them with their footing to move forward.
24 Let me share with you a story of my own. While you are helping others, do not forget to also help yourself and those who are close to you. Previously, I did pro bono work and with crisis shelters. And I explained to my then six-year-old daughter why I was so busy and spending so much time with Prof Corinne Ghoh and everybody else.
25 So every time she asked me, Ayah, where are you going? I would say, to help people. And then she asked me again, Ayah, where are you going? I said again, to help people. And one day she stopped me at the door and she asked me again. Ayah, where are you going? And I again said, help people. Then she said two words that broke my heart till today. She said, “Help me.”
26 In the business of all of you doing all the work, you might forget to tell your family and loved ones most close to you and those working with you, what it means that you are contributing to others, when you’re helping people.
27 So I told her, bring your little Adik. Let’s go to the crisis shelter. And there she saw for herself with her own eyes, all the women and children who had to stay there. She asked me again, why are all these girls here? I said, something happened at home, so they have to go out. She said, if they didn’t do anything wrong, why are they out? Then she said, can I play at the playground with them? It was an abandoned old primary school.
28 So at the end of the day, she understood. And she said, Ayah, I can help more people. You need to make sure when you’re helping other people, you help those close to you to understand that this is a journey of empowerment. This is a journey of understanding. This is a journey of relatable experiences that you connect with your loved ones and with the people you help, and hopefully one day, they will help more people.
29 So with that, to all our social workers, thank you for your service and resilience.
30 Wishing everyone here a happy Social Work Day.